Pennsylvania primary election: Clinton in-law loses House primary

State Rep. Brendan Boyle easily won the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania’s 13th District on Tuesday, handily defeating Chelsea Clinton’s in-law and former Rep. Marjorie Margolies, despite the help she received from the Clintons.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Boyle was far in the lead with 41 percent; Margolies had 27 percent, state Sen. Daylin Leach had 17 percent and physician Val Arkoosh had 15 percent.

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Corbett's primary victory speech

Despite her ties to the Clintons and the fact that she is perceived as having lost her seat in support of Bill Clinton’s budget in 1994, the former first couple did relatively little for her in her campaign.

Both Bill and Hillary Clinton hosted fundraisers, and he appeared in her final ad of the primary, in which he exhorted supporters: “She’ll make you proud, she’ll vote right.”

But their support paled in comparison to the marathon of activity the two put into helping their friend Terry McAuliffe become governor in Virginia. They held a dozen events and fundraisers combined for the now-governor.

At a fundraiser hosted by Lynn de Forester Rothschild last week for Margolies, Hillary Clinton joked about them sharing a grandchild in the future, one attendee said. But Margolies wasn’t at the event — she cited a need to be in her would-be district — and it felt mostly like a kickoff for Clinton’s own political future, the attendee said.

The relationship between Margolies and the Clintons has never been particularly close. Still, it’s the first real political negative for the Clintons since Hillary Clinton left the State Department.

Clinton allies are aware the defeat will be read as a black mark on their political brand: The former first couple did just enough toward the end so they couldn’t be accused of deserting her completely.

One ally insisted blaming Hillary and Bill Clinton for the loss was baseless.

“What exactly were they supposed to do” for her? said the ally.

Meanwhile, Boyle’s victory came despite attacks from all three of his Democratic opponents, as well as the national pro-choice groups EMILY’s List and NARAL Pro-Choice America. All of them hit Boyle over his stance on abortion: He says on the campaign trail that he’s “pro-choice,” but these groups point to a 2011 vote in favor of a bill that placed additional requirements on abortion clinics in the state as proof that he’s not as clear-cut on the issue.

The candidates are running for the House seat vacated by Rep. Allyson Schwartz, who lost the Democratic gubernatorial primary on Tuesday. The House seat is heavily Democratic, and Boyle will be the favorite in November.